According to Tate Taylor, it's not a given that Sue Ann succumbs to the fire. In fact, he chose to not explicitly show her fate one way or the other in order to leave his options wide-open for a "Ma" sequel. He said, "I think it's worth discussing [a sequel]. I know Octavia would do it, that's why I purposely left her death ambiguous" (via Entertainment Weekly).
While some horror sequels simply repeat the plotline of their predecessor, such as the "Final Destination" franchise, Taylor doesn't want this to be the case for a second "Ma." Nothing is set in stone at the moment, but he has a fresh concept in mind for Sue Ann, including a career shift away from being a veterinary aide in Ohio. Taylor explained his idea to EW, saying that he could see Sue Ann moving to a new small town and continuing her killing spree through open houses. Further elaborating, he said, "I think she'd be a real estate agent in the Pacific Northwest and just murder white people looking at McMansions. That's as far as I've gotten."
Given Octavia Spencer's passion for breaking the cycle of "Black people always [dying] within the first 15 minutes of a horror film" (via Variety), she'd likely enjoy this new idea. She said, "I'm glad that, if it can help change the ridiculously stubborn narrative that we've all lived with, I'm glad to be a part of that."
